Washington Secondary Will Have to Pass the Test

Washington began its first day of practice in shorts at USC’s Howard Jones Field. All eyes may have been on versatile quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo, but the play of two freshmen could be just as crucial.

After the spinal injury to free safety Curtis Williams, Hakim Akbar moved from free to strong safety and opened a spot for freshman Greg Carothers.

Carothers has done well so far but said he knows Purdue’s strong passing attack will be a true test because he has not faced a quarterback like Drew Brees.

“I’m young, and they’re going to try to exploit that,” he said. “But I think I’m ready.”

The Huskies rank 48th nationally and second in the conference (207.91) in pass defense and 42nd in pass efficiency defense (111.85).

Junior cornerback Anthony Vontoure has not recovered from thumb surgery last month. He practiced and will play with a cast. Without Vontoure, the secondary would be facing Brees with two freshmen.

The Huskies will rely on another freshman at running back. Junior tailback Willie Hurst (broken collarbone) will probably play, but the status of sophomore Paul Arnold (back) is still unknown. Freshman Rich Alexis, who has a shoulder injury, and junior Braxton Cleman will fill in.

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Williams, who suffered the injury to his spinal cord against Stanford on Oct. 28, may be able to attend the Rose Bowl. American Medical Response will cover the expenses and make arrangements to transport Williams to Pasadena from the San Jose rehabilitation facility where he is recovering.

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Rick Neuheisel has had success as a college coach (50-20), but a decision 13 years ago might have delayed his coaching career.

He was a replacement player for the San Diego Chargers when the NFL went on strike in 1987. The team went 3-0 with him at quarterback, but after the strike the Chargers released him. He completed 40 of 59 passes for 367 yards and signed with Tampa Bay for the rest of the season but did not take a snap.

Terry Donahue offered Neuheisel an assistant coaching position at UCLA, and he didn’t look back.

Or did he?

“I don’t regret my decision, but I do regret that that was my taste of the NFL. It was a bittersweet experience.”

Donahue explained to him that coaching might be a better path to take.

“I’m thankful for his advice,” he said. “It was a hard decision to make because [at that time] I didn’t know that coaching is just as competitive and exhilarating as playing. . . . I still want to pick up the ball and throw it now and then--you never lose that--but fortunately I have three sons and they like to play catch with me too.”